So my friend calls me up after I had already eaten dinner tonight and says "HEY - Have you had dinner yet?!"

......Well - he was all alone and
had some chicken and the poor guy couldn't cook....He didn't know what there was that he could make with his poor lonely chicken....

Here's my big idiot friend in his big mega-wealthy kitchen.....Who skips out on the chance to cook in a kitchen like this?! ......I've
cooked in here plenty of times, but I always find something new in there each time I go over....

At any rate - I basically made a rendition of Chicken Scallopini....I did some stuffed mushrooms for an app and the side with the chicken was black
beans and rice (basmati)

Basically just go ahead and mix all your ingredients together and stuff the caps...If you have some extra Parm, grate some over your mushrooms...If
you like, you can sprinkle some Paprika on them for color....Put them on a greased pan and pop them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes....They should
be a very light golden brown....Enjoy

Bread the chicken - First dunk in the flour and evenly coat it (shake of any residual flour), then dunk in eggwash, and cover with breadcrumbs....Best
to use the One-hand approach here so you don't get both hands gooped up....Heat a skillet with about 2 T EX olive oil - Put the heat on high....Let
the pan sit for a bit and pop them bad boys in the pan....

While that side is cooking, Get a sauce pan on the eye and crank it up to high....Add the sherry, capers, artichokes and S&P (to taste)....Let the
sherry reduce to about 1/3 its original volume.....Take off the heat and add your butter - Whisk in slowly - Reduce the flame to medium and coast on
and off the flame while your butter melts....Try to keep it from boiling too hard...When you have your butter fully melted, turn the heat off and keep
it somewhere warm while you flip the chicken and finish it off....

To finish the dish, Cut a wedge out of another lemon if you have it and place it on the serving dish next to the chicken, laddle some sauce over the
chicken and finish it off with a big handful of feta.....MMMmmmmmm

As far as the black beans and rice goes - I'll have to get to that another night - I'm picky on that, and I don't have the time to type it our
right now....

But I will give you all a hint on cooking rice....

I never measure my rice or water - I just eyeball it - Basically, the rice will cover about 1/4 of the pot and you just want to fill the remaining 3/4
with broth or water....

But first! Always start off by melting some butter, then cooking the raw rice for about 5 minutes over a high heat, constantly stirring....I promise
this will change the way your rice turns out....If your making a pilaf, this is when you want to add your veggies or spices....While its still on high
heat, add your chicken broth (if you don't have enough, just fill the broth can up with water)....Let this sit and come to a boil.....Give it one
last stir, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot (this is key folks!)...Perfect rice every time

Okay - So BBQ may not "swoon your date"...but damnit - the good stuff tastes awesome...and after having recently returned from assisting a friend of
mine on our team Dark Side of the Moo, I've come away with a few good tips I'm willing to share....

And read all the way to the bottom, or you'll miss the Blue Margarita recipe!

One important aspect of my experience vs. what you may be cooking with, is this guy had a custom built motor-driven auger grill/smoker that fed wood
pellets into the flames at the precise moment they were required to maintain the correct temperature....so...if you don't have this option available,
I suggest keeping a thermometer and fresh coals or wood chips at the ready...

Some BBQ cooking experience is assumed - U2U me for any detailed or general questions...or just reply here if you need a hand...

For all meats: Getting a good dry rub on the meat at least 12 hours before starting the cooking process will enhance the flavor of your
meat incredibly....

If you have the cool storage space, you may also want to consider aging your beef....Simply cryovac it and keep it in the fridge for 3 weeks, turning
frequently....there are also dry aging methods, which involve hanging it from the cooler...

Some people say that if you age it longer than 3 weeks, it will develop a more intense beefy flavor....yeeeahh...no - that's more like what I'd call
an intense cheesy flavor - so steer clear of cooking meat that doesn't smell like the way you want it to taste - that's just a rule of thumb for
pretty much any raw foods out there...

If you're working with a 7-9 lb butt, the ideal cooking time and temp is around 225F for about 11-12 hours. Be sure to place the butt fat cap up,
so that the fat bastes the meat as it cooks....Of course, you've put a rub on the meat and let it soak in a good while ahead of time...

Once finished, remove from grill and allow to cool (45 minutes to an hour)...Remove the upper fat layer - Try to reserve all the "bark" you
have....This is the hard crusty outer shell....It adds a lot of flavor and texture to your finished product...

After you've removed the fat, begin to pull sections of meat from the butt and keep the strands relatively long and coarse....you don't want to pull
it to the consistency of mush....

Once you've pulled the pork, get a nice pale ale beer....Rolling Rock works great....and poor a bottle over your pork....Cover it, and throw it in
the oven (set to warm) for another 2 hours.

When you're ready to serve, sparingly add the BBQ sauce you'd like to use - you don't want to drench it and take away the natural flavors of the
tender meat...

Brisket:

Again, we're dealing with a large cut of meat...around 9-10 lb....After the rub has been applied, Cover the brisket in regular French's Yellow
Mustard - then allow time to penetrate....

This one will cook at about the same time and temp...225F...12 hours....

Before you remove it, in a sauce pan, prepare a sauce for the brisket to braise in during holding time.....You can use chicken or beef broth, apple
cider vinegar, and a product I've found works great, called Creole Butter

Remove the brisket from the grill and place in braising liquid....Put in oven on warm and allow to rest for 2-3 hours....

Remember that when you go to serve this, brisket is a very hard meat to cook just right, and all your time and effort will be wasted if you cut it the
wrong way....cut across the grain!

Baby Back Ribs:
Mmmmm....These are my favorite....

After you've got your rub going, you're going to want to cook these puppies at 225 (the magic BBQ temperature) for about 6 hours....Spritz them
every half hour with a mixture of beer and apple cider....

You'll now they're ready when you go to pick them up with the tongs and they JUST begin to break at the bone....If they appear elastic and won't
bend when go to pick them up, they need a little longer...

Now’s the time to cut them and leave the applying of sauce to the individual, as I've found it's more fun to eat ribs with several sauces then to
smear the whole rack with just one.....

If you can find it, try a Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce!

Beer Can Chicken:
You can do this with or without the rub...of course, I find the rub really adds a lot of extra flavor....another route to go, is to skip this recipe,
and inject the chicken with the Creole butter mentioned above...Or, try marinating it in a mixture of beer, apple juice and whole peppercorns

You may want to consider buying a dish or stand for this recipe....It'll makes things a little easier...but nonetheless, you can always just plop
your chicken on a Bud and let it go from there...

One key step to making your chicken perfect is drying the skin, pre rub....You can do this by using a blow dryer on COOL heat - Dry it until the skin
sucks to the meat and becomes firm...The end result it a very crispy skin...

Drain about half the beer down your gullet...lol...and add your spices...place the chicken on your beer....Cook at about 375F for 4-5 hours....

Ya know, I just looooove talking to myself....Although with 900 views, I know there's a few people out there lurking....AHEM!!

Surely someone has a question....I'd love to offer some help in the kitchen.....I've seen you people cook before - Ya.....You know...When you
think that "someone" is looking in on you.....Mmmm hmmm....

How about a quick tip....

Don't you just hate it when you go to puree something hot, turn the machine on, and suddenly you've added a new texture and color to your
walls......"Yes, I was going for a cream of spinach look in this room!"

Well, silly....When you want to puree something hot, and try to keep it hot, remember that the first thing you'll want to do is separate the
"stuff" into smaller batches....Use a few of those disposable containers, assuming the liquid isn't so hot that it will eat through them....You
might want to let something like that cool off a bit

The next trick is to not fill the processor or blender all the way up - start out with half-way.....Then apply the top and quickly press the pulse
button or on/off switch....Keep doing this quickly....on...off....on...off.....After a while you can go full steam ahead without any fear of
explosions

In a separate bowl mix together:
4 cups all purpose flour Measure 5 cups of oatmeal then place small amounts in a blender until it turns to flour. Add to the all purpose flour.
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda

Another idea, although perhaps a bit more expensive....A fruit and cheese tray...

Get a nice assortment of cheeses....Have fun cutting them in different shapes and arranging them on a platter....With cheese, it's always a good idea
to have a bucket of warm water to dip your knife in and a cloth to dry it off before you make your cuts...This way the cheese won't stick to your
knife and crumble into pieces...

Get some star fruit and make some nice thin slices....Make some strawberry fans (Basically, just sit a strawberry on its leafy side and make
progressive downward slices that stop just before the stem, then fan out)

You can also garnish with some mango - A lot of people are afraid to use mangos b/c they don't know how to cut around that big stone in the
center....The easiest way I can explain avoiding that stone is:

(1) Look for the end of the mango which once had the stem attached....
(2) Looking down at the mango from this perspective, you'll notice that one side is relatively symmetrical and the other is not....
(3) Arrange the mango so that the two symmetrical ends are to the right and left of the stem...
(4) Cut about 1/4 inch to the right and left of that stem and you should have two stone-free mango halves...

Once you have it cut in half, take a paring knife and score the meat of the fruit in 1/4 diagonally-crossing lines, coming as close to the skin as you
can....Then simply push the skin end out with your fingertips to create a neat little field of mango diamonds....

Garnish with some herbs and maybe a few raspberries, blueberries, etc....

Another neat idea would be to kind of ooohh and aaahhh them with some foreign delicacies that are relatively simply to make but not something they see
every day...

One such easily portioned dish would be Stuffed Grape Leaves! Now - My Aunt is the queen of making these suckers....I've actually never made them
myself, but looking at a few recipes online, I've found one that sounds pretty close to hers.... www.foodnetwork.com...

Only real difference is she puts a really light tomato sauce over them which rocks....But you could also go the traditional route and use the
cucumber-mint yogurt sauce, which is equally as delicious.... www.sandisrecipecorner.com...

I love eating salmon!!! Do you have any favorite recipes on how to bake it and give it and AWESOME flavor? Also needed is recipe on how to make
mashed potatoes to go with this dish (or what would you recommend)? Looking forward to your response.

Originally posted by LaNena_24
Do you have any favorite recipes on how to bake it and give it and AWESOME flavor? Also needed is recipe on how to make mashed potatoes to go with
this dish (or what would you recommend)?

Salmon is truly such a versatile fish...

I've found that if you're going to bake it, the most incredible flavor will result if you use the old "fish in a bag" technique....AKA "Fish en
Papillote".....It catches people off-guard - "Fish in a bag?! Why would I want that?! HAHA.....Then someone gets a whiff of it from another table
and you're sold out in five minutes

You really don't need to prepare anything beyond the Papillote....Except maybe find a good wine to go with it....But nonetheless, I'll share with
you my mashed potato secrets....

Here's an idea I put together for ya: Salmon en Papillote

BTW - This recipe is rationed to one serving, given the nature of it's prep...

**Important** You'll also need a sheet of parchment paper...Should be easy to find - About the size of your average oven pan will do

Really, you can play around with these veggies....Anything that sounds good to you and will fit in a bag will work....But maybe you'll want to
give this one a go first then figure out what you want to add or delete - You may not like cabbage but find it's to die for cooked like
this...

Process: (I promise you this isn't hard - just a fun technique to learn that may take some practice)
So go ahead and preheat your oven to 425 F....Season your salmon filet with the salt and pepper, both sides....

Now take your parchment paper and fold it in half...whichever way gives you the most room to work with....Place your filet dead center on one side of
the folded paper....scatter the veggies and herbs over the salmon, and top with the butter....season them with a little more S&P, then fold the other
side on top to cover the filet....

Now - If you're familiar with the process of pleating, then you're as good as gold here....Basically, all you need to do is create a fold at one of
the corners, then continue to fold over each successive fold, until you've worked your way to the other corner of the bag....

Here's a glimpse at what it should sort of look like...Don't get caught off guard by the shape of this one though....Once you get good at this, you
can make hearts and patterns and all sorts of fun stuff....

So - Before you close that end up, take your wine and pour that golden goodness in there

Seal her up, brush the outside with a little vegetable oil (browns the bag for appearance) and put it on a tray and into the oven for about 10
minutes....

Now - Two options for serving here....The best method is to leave it sealed in the bag, then allow your guest or yourself to open the bag while
you're sitting over the plate - The smells that will drift up will put you in heaven for a few brief moments....

Or, you can also choose to remove it from the bag and slide it onto a plate....

Great, quick and relatively simple dish....You don't have a pile of dirty dishes, and you've got your meat, veggies, and a delicious sauce all in
one shot!

Phew!

Okay - Now mashed potatoes....

Ingredients: 6-8 Yukon Gold potatoes, large dice (peeled or unpeeled - up to you)
5 cloves garlic, roasted and minced (you can buy it roasted, or better yet - do it yourself - cover a head of garlic in EV olive oil, S&P, wrap in
foil and bake for an hour at 325 F) If you take the time to roast garlic, roast some shallots too....Throw about 2-3 T worth in....
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 pint of heavy cream (you may not use all of this)
2 T finely chopped chives
S&P

Process:
Okay - Before you get off to peeling and dicing your potatoes, make sure you have the pot you're cooking them in filled with water already so you can
toss them in as you go and prevent them from oxidizing...

Once you've got them cut and ready to go, empty any excess water from the pot so that the potatoes are just coming out of the water....Season
them with S&P and let it boil on high until they are fork tender....15-20 minutes maybe...

While those are boiling, put your butter and roasted garlic and/or shallots in a bowl....wooden spoon at the ready...Drain the water from the
"taters" and pour them into the bowl with the butter....eyeball about how much heavy cream to add - You don't want to make potato soup here....then
mix away....

Add your chives, then decide if it needs any more S&P....And there ya go

I'm having problems with both budget AND trying to cook food for a diabetic (not to mention that it's late when I get home, it's a 60 mile drive
from work, and I'm bone tired.)

So... for the weekend... got any UltraLowCalorie, Cheapo suggestions for diabetics? (BTW, this might be one more thing to add to your list of
skills... that you can prepare foods for diabetics. Many Americans today have type 2 diabetes that CAN be controlled by diet, if you can get the diet
adjusted right.)

Originally posted by Byrd
So... for the weekend... got any UltraLowCalorie, Cheapo suggestions for diabetics? (BTW, this might be one more thing to add to your list of
skills... that you can prepare foods for diabetics. Many Americans today have type 2 diabetes that CAN be controlled by diet, if you can get the diet
adjusted right.)

Yeesh! 60 mile drive?! That's no fun! So you probably want something quick...easy....or something that can cook while you're at
work...Edit: Well...Since you said the weekend, and I totally missed it, then maybe it can be something a tad more involved...

And actually...About a year ago, I was working for three families, preparing their meals on a weekly basis - I'd make them a few days in advance, put
them in tuber-ware containers and drop them off at their office in a cooler....All three of them had diabetic family members....

At first I sweated bullets over making sure I found recipes that wouldn't put these people in the hospital...but then I realized, once you know the
limitations you can actually have quite a bit of fun, save some money, and keep the taste buds thoroughly satisfied

I've got those recipes saved on my computer at home, so when I get off work, I'll share them with you

I will let you know how it turns out (even thought I know it'll be great). ***mouth watering***

Looking forward to the suggestions (have you ever thought of doing a PDF type booklet of these things and selling it on Ebay and setting up a
supporting site for it)? I don't know if there'll be a ton of money in it, but you might get a few bucks for it.

And yeah, I'm kinda tired when I get home. 120 mile round trip does wear on the body and the car. I sometimes just toss in a tv dinner.

Let this come to a boil, and then bring the heat all the way down, and let it simmer for about an hour, uncovered...

You could also add a nice little sachet of some herbs and spices - Maybe a cinnamon stick....

Now for the chicken...skin and remove fat....

Pour about 1T of oil into a hot pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken....After about ten minutes, it should be browned....Don't move it
around too much or you'll have chicken confetti....

Place the chicken to the side and reserve the oil.....If you need to add a bit more, do so...

Throw in about 1T of garlic and 1/4 cup of diced onions....

Keep stirring for about 3-4 minutes over a medium-high heat - Kick it up to high and then add 1 cup of chick broth, 1T of [fresh (meaning
recently bought) curry powder and a dash of cinnamon.....Scrap the bottom of the pan to get any of that "frond" off....Let this reduce on high for
about 2-3 minutes, still stirring....reduce the heat to medium and add your chicken back to the pan....Cover, reduce to a simmer, and let go for about
10 minutes

Add a cup of coconut milk - stir well and serve with your green tomato chutney....

Apart from a little chopping and stirring, this is a relatively quick and simple dish....

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